


Creative Problem Solving

by Hymn



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Creative Problem Solving, Crystal Tokyo Era, Gen, lying to a little kid lol, off screen death of a dog!, or - Freeform, v v minor nephrite/jupiter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-01-05
Updated: 2009-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-28 15:40:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13274580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hymn/pseuds/Hymn
Summary: When Small Lady's dog dies, Sailor Pluto asks Nephrite for help.





	Creative Problem Solving

**Author's Note:**

> written for sm_monthly's prompt: ashes

"I need you to do me a favor," Sailor Pluto said.

Nephrite looked up from his magazine, and then he looked around at the rest of the empty room, and then he looked at the ceiling like maybe somebody there was crazy, before looking back at Sailor Pluto.

"Uh, are you speaking to me?"

"Yes," Sailor Pluto said sternly. "Usually I would ask Small Lady for her help, but this is a somewhat...delicate matter. And so I require your assistance."

Nephrite stared at her for a long moment, and then he waved his magazine around. "I'm sort of bu-"

"Come this way," Sailor Pluto said, striking the marble floor scarily with her Time Key, and turning sharply on her heel. Nephrite winced, and got up to follow.

*

"Okay," Nephrite said a few doors and several corridors later. "What are we looking at, here."

In front of them on a pedestal was an ornately decorated urn.

Sailor Pluto said, "This is Squeaker." quite heavily and with a small frown.

"...Squeaker?" Nephrite asked, incredulous. "As in that small yappy dog that the Princess loves so much? The one that Mars is always threatening to turn into- oh no."

"Oh yes," Sailor Pluto said gravely.

"Well what can _I_ do?" Nephrite asked, feeling faintly flustered. "I realize I'm awesome, but even I can't uhm, work miracles, here."

Sailor Pluto stared at Nephrite with dark wine eyes, and Nephrite was beginning to feel severely creeped out. Even after being reincarnated and reinstated at the palace working for his King, dealing with the time senshi had always been a little creepy. It was one of the things he loved about Jupiter that Pluto entirely lacked: her vitality, her _spark_.

Pluto was creepy silence and cold heavy words. She asked: "You have a certain affinity with the stars, yes?"

Cautiously, Nephrite said, "Yes. You could say that."

Suddenly, Sailor Pluto smiled. Nephrite made a small sound of terror and took a hasty step backward.

*

“So you’re convincing the stars,” Jupiter said slowly and with great humor, “to shine brighter-“

“Only certain ones,” Nephrite said vaguely.

“Right, yes.” Jupiter didn’t seem to be trying very hard in not smiling at Nephrite’s expense. “So,” she said, “you’re convincing certain stars to shine brighter, so that they make the shape of a dog.”

“Squeaker,” Nerphrite agreed grimly.

“So that Sailor Pluto doesn’t have to explain to Small Lady that she got her stupid dog killed?”

Nephrite hummed, marking scientific calculations on an astronomy chart. “I’m sure she didn’t mean to,” he said without really meaning it.

Jupiter snorted, and crossed her strong, lean arms beneath her breasts, which almost served to distract Nephrite. “She should have known not to trust Mars to be a dog sitter. That woman is definitely a cat person.”

“Jadeite hates cats.”

Which, strangely enough, was what set Jupiter to laughing. Nephrite blinked, and looked up at her when her gloved fingers pressed against his jaw, and her eyes were warm and full of sparkling life, her smile wide and rosy, and she was the most beautiful person he’d ever seen in all his lifetimes.

Quite fondly, she said, “I love how thoughtful you are.”

Nephrite made a half assed scoffing noise, feeling wildly flustered as only Jupiter could do. It made Jupiter laugh again, and lean in for a kiss.

*

Children, Nephrite thought ruefully, were one of his great weaknesses. It was probably the reason that Sailor Pluto had gone ahead and left the explanation to him, as well. Nephrite tended to play baby sitter a frightening amount of the time, despite the fact that he felt like he could sleep for a week after expending so much magical energy conversing so intricately with the stars.

"S, so," Small Lady's little girl voice wavered, "Squeaker was such a good doggie that- that-“

"That the stars invited him to come up and live forever. And he said yes," Nephrite said, smiling at her. "Because now Squeaker can watch over you always, and you’ll never be alone."

Sniffling, Small Lady pressed against Nephrite's side, and tried to be brave, looking up at the glowing constellation he'd pointed out. "I can even see his broken tail," she said in her wobbly voice, eyes shimmering bright, and face streaked with tears. But she was smiling, just a little, and that’s what was important.


End file.
